Hidden Linguistic Discrimination in International Academic Publishing: ESL Scholars' Experiences with Major Journals

This study investigates language discrimination in international academic publishing. It examines the experiences of ESL scholars through detailed interviews with 20 international researchers. After careful analysis of journals’ feedback, we found strong evidence of systematic bias against non-native English speakers. Results also show that journals often reject quality research solely due to language issues. This led ESL scholars to spend excessive time and money on editing services. The Arab scholars face the heaviest burden, spending up to $1,500 per paper on language editing and proofreading. Additionally, the document analysis revealed that most reviewer comments focused on language rather than research content. The study proves that current publishing practices create unfair barriers that prevent important research from reaching the global academic community. This bias affects scholars from regions where English is not commonly used in academia and creates a cycle of reduced publication success and slower career progress. Our findings demand urgent changes in how journals evaluate ESL scholars' work and how universities support their publishing efforts.